Conventional floor mops comprise a handle rotatably connected to a mop head and a disposable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to the mop head in a variety of different configurations. One side of the disposable absorbent cleaning pad is placed in direct contact with a surface to be cleaned and the opposing side of the cleaning pad is in contact with the mop head. The absorbent pad absorbs and retains fluids, and loosens and traps dirt particles on the cleaning surface.
The art is replete with a wide variety of mechanisms which are configured to couple an absorbent cleaning pad to a mop head. These mechanisms generally allow for releasable attachment of the cleaning pad to the mop head so that the cleaning pad can be removed and discarded after use.
For example, a removable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to a mop head is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,223. The double-sided cleaning pad of '223 encases the body of the mop head. A plurality of fastener ties positioned on an open end of the removable cleaning pad are utilized to constrict the cleaning pad around the body of the mop head. A disposable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to a mop head is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,552. The disposable absorbent cleaning pad of '552 provides VELCRO loop fasteners which couple with VELCRO hook fasteners positioned on the underside of the mop head. Another example of a disposable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to a mop head is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,810,554 and 6,807,702. In these examples, the disposable cleaning pad provides extended attachment tabs which are configured for insertion into retaining apertures positioned on the topside of the mop head.
A disposable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to a mop head is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,431. The removable absorbent cleaning pad of '431 provides pliable clips that releasably engage with rigid tabs positioned on the mop head. The engagement between the pliable clips and the rigid tabs facilitate the assembly and removal of the cleaning pad from the mop head. Still another example of a disposable absorbent cleaning pad coupled to a mop head is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,184. The mop head of '184 comprises an upper plate and a lower plate separated by a gap. The periphery of a disposable absorbent cleaning pad is positioned in the gap and compressed between the plates. A wing nut positioned above the upper plate engages with a threaded fastener coupled to the lower plate. The rotation of the wing nut translates the upper plate to control the size of the gap between the plates and the compression of the cleaning pad between the plates.
Nevertheless, there continues to be a need to further refine and improve absorbent cleaning pads and the mechanisms used to attach a disposable cleaning pad to a cleaning implement.